Expansible pass case



Dec. 11, 1962 D. J. BROUGHTON 3,067,792

EXPANSIBLE PASS CASE Filed May 18, 1961 INV EN TOR.

United States PatenrOfifice 3,067,792 Patented Dec. 11, 1962 3,067,792 EXPANSIBLE PASS CASE Douglas J. Broughton, Springfield, Mass, assignor to Buxton Incorporated, Agawam, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed May 18, 1961, Ser. No. 111,004 Claims. (Cl. 150-39) This invention relates to pass cases of the type which may be used separately or in combination with bill folds, and more particularly to pass cases having a plurality of transparent holders or envelopes used for carrying and displaying cards, photographs and the like.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a pass case having display envelopes hingedly carried therein and bodily movable to enable the envelopes to be stacked or spread apart in overlapping arrangement to facilitate manipulation and display of the contents of the envelopes.

Another object of this invention is to provide an expansible assembly of hinged display envelopes readily mountable in a pass case.

The above and other objects and advantages of this invention will be more readily apparent from the following description and with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a pass case embodying this invention in a closed condition;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the pass case of FIG. 1 in an open condition;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the case as shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view showing the constructional details of the expansible display envelope assembly; and

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view showing a modified form of the invention.

Referring in detail to the drawing, a pass case embodying this invention is shown generally at 6 in FIG. 1. The case comprises covers 8 and 10 swingable about a hinge portion 12 for opening and closing the case. A closure flap, such as shown at 14, extends from the cover 8 and may be provided with a snap fastener element such as shown at 16 interengageable with its counterpart 18, disposed on the cover 10. An expansible display envelope assembly is carried within the case as indicated generally at 20 in FIG. 1.

The display envelope assembly 20 comprises a plurality of envelopes or holders 22 formed of any suitable transparent material, such as cellulose acetate, Mylar and the like. The holders 22 are in the shape of flattened tubes open at their outer ends for receiving pass cards, photographs, licenses and the like.

Each of the display envelopes 22 are hinged for swinging movement. In the embodiment shown, the envelopes are hingedly carried on a binder member or strip 24. The binder strip is provided with a series of accordion folds so that it may be expanded and contracted as desired. The envelopes 22 are hingedly affixed to and extend from the upper surface of the strip at corresponding positions on each of the folds. As shown, each envelope 22 is hinged for free swinging movement about a hinge line located generally at the crest of a fold. As shown, the envelopes 22 are hingedly afiixed to the accordion binder strip by means of strips 28. The strips are secured to the outer surface of each of the folds so as to permit expansion of the strip 24 to substantailly its full length. The free. edge portions of the strips 28 may be affixed to the lower ends of the envelopes 22 by any suitable means. As shown in FIG. 4, the envelopes 22 are telescoped over the upper edge portion of the strips and secured thereto by means of a suitable adhesive, heat sealing, or the like. The strips 28 may be provided with a hinge line or be made of a material sufliciently flexible, such as leather, certain plastic or plastic-coated fabric, to enable the envelopes 22 to be freely pivoted relative to the binding strip.

Means for connecting the envelopes to the pass case comprises a slideway disposed within the case to enable bodily movement of the envelopes by expansion and contraction of the accordion strip so that the envelopes can be either stacked, as shown in FIG. 1, or disposed in overlapping relation, such as indicated in FIGS. 2 and 3. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the slideway comprises a flexible strip 32 secured at one end to the outer end of the cover 10 by any suitable means such as a clip 34 clampingly fitted around the edge of the cover and the outer end of the strip 32, as best seen in FIG. 2. The strip 32 extends inwardly from the outer edge of the pass case, through registered holes or slots 36, which extend through the accordion folds of the binding strip. The inner end of the strip 32 is provided with means for preventing its accidental withdrawal through the slots 36. As shown, the inner end of the strip 32 is provided with a tongue 38 which provide shoulders 39 extending beyond the ends of slot 36.

The inner end of the accordion strip 24 is held stationary relative to the case to enable the strip to be expanded, as shown in FIG. 2. As shown, the strip includes a section or panel 40 having holes disposed adjacent its outer ends to receive the ends of a bar member 42. The bar may be flexible in nature so that it can be bent or flexed sufliciently to fit its outer ends through the holes in the pass case and the holes provided in the panel 40 of the accordion strip.

The outer end of the accordion strip, opposite the bar 42, is freely movable toward and away from the stationary end of the strip, enabling the envelopes 22 to be moved bodily along the strip so that the envelopes may be stacked in coterminous juxtaposition or separated into overlapping relation, such as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. A tab 43 may be provided to facilitate expansion and contraction of the binder strip.

In FIG. 5 is shown a modified slideway or guide for enabling expansion and contraction of the envelope assembly. The guide means comprises spaced opposed channels disposed within the case and extending longitudinally of one of the pass case covers 44. The channels may be formed in any suitable manner. As shown, the cover 44 comprises superposed sheets 46 and 48 joined at their outer edges. The inner sheet is provided with spaced parallel slits for receiving the outer ends of a bar member 50 carried at the outer end of the accordion as sembly 20. The bar 50 is freely slidable in the channels enabling the accordion folder binder strip to be readily expanded and contracted, as described above.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed is:

1. Pass case comprising a pair of hinged cover members, an expansible display envelope assembly disposed within said case and comprising a binding strip having a series of accordion folds extending transversely of said case, a plurality of display envelopes hingedly extending in spaced relation from said strip, means for holding one end of said binding strip stationary relative to said case, the other end of said binding strip being freely movable toward and away from said one end, a slideway disposed within said case and extending normal to said accordion folds, said binding member being provided with means interengageable with said slideway enabling the binding strip to be expanded to approximately its unfolded length and collapsed to bring said envelopes into coterminous juxtaposition.

2. A pass case comprising hinged cover members, a binding member having a plurality of accordion folds, means for securing one end of said member within said case, a plurality of transparent envelopes, means for hingedly afiixing said envelopes to said binding member at corr'ezponding positions on each fold, a slideway disposed within said pass case and extending at right angles to said accordion folds, said binding member being provided with means slidingly interengageable with said slideway enabling said binding member to be extended to approximately its unfolded length and to be collapsed to bring said envelopes into coterminous juxtaposition.

3. Pass case as set forth in claim 2 in which said slide- Way comprises an elongated strip secured at one end to one of the cover member of said pass case and adjacent its outer edge, said binding member being provided with registered slots extending through and below the crests of the folds forming said binding member, said elongated strip extending through said registered slots, said envelope afiixing means comprising hinge strips, opposite edge portions of said strip being afiixed to the lower ends of said envelopes and the outer surface of said folds.

4. Pass case as set forth in claim 2 in which said slideway comprises opposed channels extending longitudinally along one of the cover members of said pass case, said binding member including means slidingly interengaged with said channels.

5. An expansible display envelope assembly for pass cases and the like comprising a binding strip composed of a series of accordion folds, display envelopes hingedly afiixed to one side of said strip for swinging movement about the crest of each of said folds, one end of said strip being provided with means for retaining said one end in fixed relation within a pass case, said binding strip being provided with registered slots extending transversely through each of said folds below said crests providing means for receiving an elongated strip disposed within said case.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

